Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask Shakes Off The Rust
Tuukka Rask had to scrape off a little rust last night as he played his first preseason game. The Bruins netminder stopped 21 of 24 shots(.875 save percentage)against the Detroit Red Wings. The Bruins dropped their first preseason game, falling to Detroit 3-1. The B’s still have an impressive 4-1 record.
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While some fans may be concerned with a sub-900 performance, it’s only the preseason. The Boston Bruins were still holding tryouts for potential defensemen. Those rookies were going up against Detroit’s NHL roster. A rusty goaltender plus green blueliners will usually equal a rough match. Still, Bruins bench boss Claude Julien was satisfied with the outcome.
“He was fine. I think that third goal is probably something that I’ll look at, could [have been] a reviewable [goal by] the league, during the regular season I should say. I’m going to look at it a little bit closer,” said Claude Julien. “But some of those shots were really top shelf [that went for goals]. They were good goals, and it’s his first game. So like anybody else he’s entitled to have those games.
“It wasn’t a bad game on his part at all. I think he’s our number one goalie, and we’re not here to evaluate him. We’re here to evaluate the others. For him, it’s to find his groove. [It’s his] first game and no doubt he’ll feel even better in the next one that he plays.”
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Tuukka Rask was happy to finally get in the action last night. The Bruins have been deep in the hunt for a new number two goaltender in Boston (the fourth in four years), and that has shifted the focus away from the B’s Finnish netminder.
“[It was] good to get it out of the way,” said Rask after the game. “You kind of forget how tough it is out there. It doesn’t matter how much you work out or skate, it’s always different when it’s a real game. I definitely felt it. It’s good to get that first one out of the belt, and to keep moving on. Today I felt that timing was sometimes a little off, angles were a little off at times and not natural all the time.
“Those are the things I need to work on. But I think in the bigger picture too, looking at the breakouts we did a pretty good job today and communication was pretty good too.”
Rask feels he’ll be ready for the season. He even joked when asked how many games it would take for him to get ready.
“Hopefully not more than two,” said Rask. “But you know, it’s just a matter of getting out there. You know you can stop the puck, but it’s just a matter of getting out there and getting a feel for the flow of the game and stuff like that, so I’ll be alright.”
Once the Bruins lock down who the backup goaltender will be, they will likely give Rask another preseason game. Hopefully, they will have locked down a few of their defensemen as well. Don’t worry folks, it’s way too early to hit the panic button in Boston.